The Secret Commonwealth: The Book of Dust Volume Two cover art

The Secret Commonwealth: The Book of Dust Volume Two

From the world of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials - now a major BBC series

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The Secret Commonwealth: The Book of Dust Volume Two

By: Philip Pullman, Christopher Wormell
Narrated by: Michael Sheen
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Shortlisted for Audiobook of the Year at the British Book Awards 2020.

Winner of Best Solo Narration at the New York Festival Radio Awards 2020

From the author of the phenomenal His Dark Materials comes the next chapter in the story of Lyra Silvertongue . . .

Lyra is now studying at St Sophia's College, Oxford, with her daemon Pantalaimon.

But, for the first time there are serious divisions between the two.
Lyra is questioning everything she once held dear. Pan misses the impulsiveness of their youth.

When an act of terrible violence breaks the peace of the Oxford night, Lyra and Pan's relationship reaches a crisis and they are drawn, far from home, into the dangerous factions of a world they had no idea existed.

The Secret Commonwealth is truly a book for our times; a powerful adventure and a thought-provoking look at what it is to understand yourself and to grow up and make sense of the world around you.

This is storytelling at its very best from one of our greatest writers.


Reviews for The Secret Commonwealth: The Book of Dust Volume Two:

"[Pullman] has created a fantasy world, made yet more satisfying in rigour and stylistic elegance. This is a book for getting older with" Guardian, Book of the Week

"Pullman is confronting readers with the horrors of our own world reflected back at us. In The Secret Commonwealthhe creates a fearful symmetry" The Herald

"Michael Sheen throws himself wholeheartedly into narrating this sequel to La Belle Sauvage and listeners will be rapt. For the ever-expanding international cast of characters, Sheen conjures a multitude of accents and delivers rapid-fire conversations between them. He's in step with the text at every turn; when situations become fraught or dangerous, Sheen ramps up the tension exquisitely. Thanks to Pullman's intricate storytelling and Sheen's propulsive narration, listeners will be on the edge of their seats right up to the cliff-hanger ending" AudioFile

© Phillip Pullman 2019 (P) Penguin Audio 2019

Coming of Age Fiction Literature & Fiction Mystery Science Fiction & Fantasy Fantasy Exciting Emotionally Gripping
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Critic reviews

[Pullman] has created a fantasy world, made yet more satisfying in rigour and stylistic elegance. This is a book for getting older with
The Secret Commonwealth is ablaze with light and life. The writing is exquisite; every sentence sings ... To read Pullman is to experience the world refreshed, aglow, in Technicolour
Lyra is all grown up in a rich, vivid sequel
Engrossing
Pullman's story is still thought-provoking ... This book elegantly weaves in live issues, from Europe's refugee crisis to facts in the post-truth era. And Pullman's prose is rewarding as ever
The novel gallops forward, full of danger, delight and surprise. Nearly miraculous, it seems, is Pullman's ability to sketch character, place and motive in just a few lines
A long, taxing, complex journey, laced with beauty, terror and philosophy
As ever, Pullman's story is complex and vast but home to some of the finest storytelling in the 21st century. Revel in whole new worlds and enjoy one of literature's most wonderful heroines before she comes to HBO and the BBC
Pullman is confronting readers with the horrors of our own world reflected back at us. In The Secret Commonwealth he creates a fearful symmetry
Pullman has created a fantasy world, made yet more satisfying in this new volume. This is a book for getting older with
All stars
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MESMERISING.

Listened in my car on journey from Fort William to Berlin. We flew!

Narration is incredible.

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What a shame the reader didn’t listen to the original audio performances of His Dark Materials, and match the pronunciation of the names. So far, Serafina Pekala and the mulefa are different, and it spoils a decent reading.

Pronunciation

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I really liked it but it's an awfully long book to just set up for the third and final book.

I really liked it but

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After reading some slightly negative reviews about The Secret Commonwealth, I was in two minds whether to bother with it - I am so glad I did!

With Lyra now 20 years old, this is quite rightly a more adult story and I think the fact that Lyra seems to have lost some of her sense of adventure and imagination is only to be expected.

I found this novel really hit some emotional turmoils and there were parts that had me holding my breath and others that made me cry. This was down to the excellent writing of Philip Pullman together with wonderfully expressive narration from Michael Sheen.

I now feel bereft that I have concluded Part 2 of this amazing trilogy and hope I won’t have to wait too long for Part 3.

Cannot wait for the next instalment!

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why a girl educated at an Oxford college would sound like a west country farm girl defeats me and was irritating to boot. Lyra's naivety also was somewhat incongruous with her life experiences to this point.

Lyra's daft accent was absurd.

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